Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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281. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the 2017 target of 800 new apprenticeship registrations and 15 new apprenticeships will be met in September 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33749/17]

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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282. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress in the development of the 15 new apprenticeship schemes for intake in September 2017; the details of the new apprenticeships; the number of places available on each; the date on which each will be open for application; if applications have been made to date in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33750/17]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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The recently published Action Plan to Expand Apprenticeship and Traineeship in Ireland 2016-2020, sets out a series of detailed actions and annual targets on how the commitments set out in the Action Plan for Education in the area will be met. This year, in the case of new apprenticeships, the plan targets 800 registrations across 15 cumulative programmes. To date five programmes have been developed by the Apprenticeship Council and are currently operational, in Insurance Practice, Industrial Electrical Engineering, Polymer Processing Technology, Manufacturing Technology and Manufacturing Engineer. Subject to successful validation, a further 10 programmes are expected to get underway later this year in various sectors including hospitality, financial services and accountancy. I am confident that we will meet our target registrations for 2017 as these additional programmes get underway over the coming months.

The information requested by the Deputy in relation to number of places available in 2017 and current registrations on new programmes that are operational is set out on the attached tabular statement. As further programmes are validated the process of approving employers and registering apprentices on these programmes will get under way.

Registrations on consortia led new apprenticeships for 2016/2017

The additional 10 new apprenticeships in the pipeline are set to make up the remaining registrations.